35 Quotes by Roberto Di Matteo

I still did some things in football, but I needed to get away from the game. I needed closure. And once I felt I'd achieved that, the hunger came back. That fire in your belly, the desire to feel the adrenaline at the weekend. That's when I felt I was able to go again.

Pierluigi Gollini is a highly-rated goalkeeper in Italy, he's young, a good shot-stopper, he comes for crosses, he's good with his feet.

In all I had 10 operations, nine within six weeks. Then one to remove the rod I had in my tibia a year later. I still have problems. I can do a little bit on the pitch, but the day after I feel it. And it is not going to get better.

It's a daily plan to solve the problems thrown at us and emerge stronger. You pick things up on the way, and you even learn from the players you work with, but your overall philosophy doesn't change.

Well, I grew up in Switzerland where my parents were immigrant workers, but my whole family are very good cooks - my father also. So I always saw my parents enjoying to cook and prepare the food.

I've experienced being a manager and I would love one day to do it again.

I wouldn't lie and say it's not disappointing to have reached so many semis and a final and not won the Champions League.

I believe in passing football with a purpose. You have to be physically strong and sometimes, in some games, you have to be more direct because that style requires it. We will prepare our teams to be ready for all situations.

But I do love to cook. When I have a dinner party I like to invite loads of people, then I would just do like a salad buffet, with some snacks and cold meat and lots of different salads.